


A Tale of Two Brothers

by dearjayycee



Series: Home Verse [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 04:36:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20091379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearjayycee/pseuds/dearjayycee
Summary: Even though they were only two years apart, Sirius Black had raised his brother. Their parents had been distant at best, neglectful at worst and Sirius when he grasped the concept of having a little brother (or the spare heir as their parents had announced), decided in his stubborn way that Regulus would be loved.





	A Tale of Two Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a short side story about Sirius and Regulus in the home!verse
> 
> [JOIN THE DISCORD TO TALK ABOUT THE FIC!](https://discord.gg/5CX3wnQ)

Even though they were only two years apart, Sirius Black had raised his brother. Their parents had been distant at best, neglectful at worst and Sirius when he grasped the concept of having a little brother (or the spare heir as their parents had announced), decided in his stubborn way that Regulus would be loved.

Regulus always thought of his brother as his father: it’s not like it made much of a difference considering they were both brothers and third cousins, so it wasn’t like tacking on that third title made much of a difference.

When he had nightmares of monsters under his bed, or of his family, Sirius was the one he went to. Sirius taught him to read and write so that when his parents started his education, they would not be disappointed in how long he took as they had with Sirius.

Sirius was the one to read him bedtime stories and tuck him in at night always promising to protect him as he kissed his forehead. And when Walburga took her punishments too far, Sirius was the one to patch Regulus up and hold him through his tears.

Sirius was Regulus’ world.

So much so that Regulus, born a Changling, had taken the features of his brother.

Once he had fallen down the stairs a few steps and landed on his face while they were greeting the rest of the Blacks at their monthly family dinner. Sirius had been at his side in moments, his three cousins looking down at him blankly as all Blacks were taught to do. His mother had glided towards them, eyes hard and lips pinched. And when she reached out to slap him for embarrassing her, it was Sirius who stepped up and took the hit for him. Her gaudy rings leaving red welts against his cheek.

No one stood up for him or his brother, and during dinner, they all ate in silence with their noses raised. Andromeda had been the only one even to look their way. But once again she was as blank as parchment.

And while Regulus hated his family, he was raised at the knee of a pureblooded Slytherin. He knew how these things went. To show weakness was to bleed in front of a shark. And soon he had learned how to blank his emotions too. Not allowing himself to process the day's events until he was safe at Sirius’ side under the darkness of night. That was the only time he allowed himself to feel.

Sirius however never fit the mask. He was loud, argumentative, and spiteful. But despite this, he was caring. So caring that Regulus sometimes thought his heart might burst. He wore every emotion like a badge of honor.

And when he got his first Hogwarts letter he began planning. Regulus wasn’t sure what until he found his brother checking to see if he could fit his body into his school trunk. The look on Sirius’ face when he realized it wasn’t possible was of absolute desolation. And as the school year loomed nearer Sirius clung to him, not that he minded, always keeping Regulus within his sight and starting more fights with their parents than was usual.

And when it came time for Sirius to get on the Hogwarts Express Sirius had sent until the last second at Regulus side. Sneaking squeezes of the hand whenever their parents were too distracted socializing with another pureblooded family to notice the sign of weakness.

Their mother had screamed for days when news came, by way of a letter from Bellatrix of Sirius’ sorting.

When the first letter from Sirius came, Walburga burnt it during breakfast without even sparing it a second glance. This would later happen with every sequential letter. Walburga had locked down the wards to any outgoing letters so that only ones with her approval could pass. She was determined to make sure the shame that was Sirius wouldn’t taint Regulus.

It wasn’t until Regulus found Kreacher in his den bleeding out while trying to find a hiding spot from an irate Walburga who had received a letter notifying her of Sirius’ impending week-long detention. Regulus had been horrified at the elf’s condition. He had always peripherally known of how their parents treated them but it wasn’t until that moment he hadn't truly understood. He was horrified, almost vomiting at the sight of the ragged gashes on the thin green back. Regulus rushed to help, not thinking of how his parents had always drilled into him that Blacks never helped those below their station. In his desperation, he performed his strongest bout of accidental magic, medical salves, potions, and bandages popping into existence at his side.

Without thinking of the difference in biology between humans and house-elves he poured a blood replenisher down Kreacher’s throat and rubbed salve into the wounds before dressing them.

Because of the physiological difference, Kreacher’s system fought the healing, and he was sick for a week in which Regulus nursed him back to health while the other house-elves watched on in curiosity (but they did nothing more to help than providing him with supplies and taking up Kreacher’s duties). In the end, Kreacher was thinner but still alive and that was what mattered most to Regulus.

After that, Kreacher had been devoted to him, and while Regulus hadn’t done what he had to gained that, like a true Slytherin he took advantage of it. Kreacher had been all too happy to deliver letter back and forth between the brothers.

Regulus had been relieved to get back in touch with Sirius, and Sirius told him about his new friends and the school. It helped kept Regulus in high spirits while their mother seemed to devolve farther into madness by the day. Orion, on the other hand, had always been a distant man, the only time Regulus had ever seen him was during dinner twice a week. Regulus wasn’t sure what he was doing but Walburga would always go on about the noble cause he was busy with.

Regulus and Sirius exchanged letters daily and soon it was the yule break. The first sight of Sirius at the train station was pure bliss but then his face went so blank he looked dead. Regulus was horrified, for a second he was afraid that the brainwashing had gotten to Sirius. That was until when their mother turned her back to make her way to the floo station that Sirius took Regulus’ hand and squeezed so hard he felt the bones in his hand creak in protest but that didn’t matter. He hadn’t lost his brother.

During the winter solstice in front of the whole family, Orion snatched Sirius' hand and removed the Black heir ring without a word, actions speaking louder than anything else could. And placed it on Regulus' middle finger. Its silver band warm from his brother’s heat. The sight of it on his finger was wrong. It had been on his brother since his first birthday, Regulus had never seen him without it. It was cool on his skin when Sirius touched him, its edges scraping against his scalp when his brother ran his fingers through his hair.

Regulus hated it with its black diamond sparkling up at him, family motto running around the edge. A reminder of everything he hated.

Later that night, wrapped up in Sirius’ blankets and limbs he tried to remove it but it refused to budge and all he accomplished was rubbing the skin underneath it raw. Sirius had confessed that after the sorting he had tried the same with the same results. Sirius called for Kreacher to get a salve and then he rubbed it into Regulus’ skin.

The time until Regulus’ own departure to Hogwarts was spent with days of letters and breaks of being in constant contact.

But when Regulus was sorted into Slytherin, they both had roles to play. Sirius had convinced Regulus that they couldn’t be seen in public together. Regulus had fought had to change his brother's mind but Sirius was stubborn, more stubborn than anyone had any right to. And Regulus knew better than to fight him.

It was hard the whole time they were at Hogwarts he had to fight his instinct to be at his brother's side through it all. Having to sit through the Slytherin’s threats and jeers directed at Sirius "the ex-heir and blood traitor". The only thing that kept him sane was his ability to transform into other people and sneak around the castle to meet up the Sirius. Some nights they would fall asleep wrapped together in abandoned classrooms on transfigured pillows. The other Slytherins thought he was meeting up with someone and while they were correct, they assumed it was for romantic trysts while it was actually for emotional comfort.

The only reason he could keep his head in Slytherin was Severus. Despite the animosity between Sirius and him, Severus had always treated him with kindness. Well, what Slytherin’s would consider an acceptable level.

Regulus had confessed to Sirius that he had a crush on the older teen and while most of what Sirius did to Severus was a show from that moment on his hatred of the Slytherin became that much more real. When Regulus confronted him about it during one of their weekly meetings. Sirius had embarrassedly said Severus wasn’t good enough for his precious little brother and that he worried about Severus’ interest in the Black Arts. He had teared up and hugged his brother. Regulus spent the next few hours reassuring Sirius that despite his feeling it was unlikely to happen since everyone knew Severus was completely and utterly straight.

It saddened Regulus, but he had his brother, and as long as he had that it would be enough.

When Walburga disowned Sirius and kicked him out of the house the day of his sixteenth birthday, Regulus was devastated, but grateful that the Potter’s had taken him in.

Sirius never told him what had transpired to force the inevitable, and it hurt that his brother kept the secret but he understood but it was still lonely. More than ever his mother was determined to keep them apart. Regulus was locked away in Grimmauld Place with only Sirius’ letters to keep him sane.

On Regulus’ seventeenth birthday it all fell apart. Orion apparated him to a dark mansion. The opulent black marble spook of a dark family. He was presented to the Dark Lord, forced to kneel and present his left arm. He was marked. The ugly symbol staring up at him. Other than the sight of marble and the Dark Mark staring up at him he remembered nothing except the sight of red eyes that would forever be burnt into his mind.

The first thing he did when he arrived home was to call Kreacher so that the elf could apparate him to Sirius’ side. He was numb as Sirius held him through the night, promises that everything would be okay spilling from his lips as he wept into Regulus’ hair.

Despite his promises, it was never okay again.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this.


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